Cong leaders urge Sonia Gandhi to oust Bajwa

After the Ludhiana Congress leaders revolted against state party chief Partap Singh Bajwa, now leaders in Nawanshahr have written to party president Sonia Gandhi seeking Bajwa’s immediate ouster. These include former district Congress president Satvir Singh Palli Jhikki and six block presidents.

They have written to Sonia alleging that Bajwa had divided the party and he did not command respect among partymen.

They warned her that in case Bajwa continued as the PPCC president, the Congress would not be able to come to power in the 2017 assembly elections and would be reduced to winning seats only in single digit.

The party leaders condemned Bajwa for expelling the “loyal and old workers” of the party without any fault of theirs.

Factionalism in the district Congress committee (DCC), Nawanshahr, took a new turn on Sunday when four block presidents and 24 office-bearers resigned from their offices.

Ludhiana DCC office bearer quits

The anti-Bajwa brigade is growing by the day, with Ludhiana DCC office-bearer Rahul Malhotra submitting his resignation to Sonia Gandhi on Friday. As many as 48 Congressmen from Ludhiana have resigned in protest against the removal of former DCC president Pawan Dewan and four Ludhiana block presidents by Partap Bajwa. Also, DCC office-bearers have urged the party president to reinstate Dewan and the block presidents. In his resignation letter, Malhotra said he had been arrested during a protest against the drug menace on a call given by Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu. He accused Bittu of supporting Bajwa in his “autocratic” moves but ignoring the youth who had backed him in the anti-drug campaign.